Monday, July 24, 2017

Fairview Mountain July 24, 2017

My young friend asked "Are we going to be doing another one like the first one we did?" I said "We can!" and I looked her and the others in the eye and said "Fairview Mountain!" They wanted the statistics, location, trail type, all the pertinent information necessary to make their decision. It didn't take long for them to decide they wanted that feeling of being in the middle of where they could experience being one with the mountains and glaciers. My young friend is right where she belongs and feels at home in this high off place.

We went for the early start to make sure we could get a parking spot at the Lake Louise Parking Lot. Geesh that place fills up early these days and this wasn't even a weekend day. Washrooms were closed when we arrived so we chased up the hill to the backup bathrooms. We geared up and headed off to the left from Lake Louise and began the ascent. Lots of large trees were down across the trail from the wild winds last night. We maneuvered around them. It took a bit of time to get to where we had the views.

We arrived at Saddleback Pass and took a little time here.

We looked up at our destination and had a discussion.

The Pass would be one's destination and the summit would be for the rest.

We worked our way up and up and up on the steep, loose gravel sections.

I made sure to stop every now and then and devour the views.

Looking back at Mount Temple's snow covered peak.

That snow never melts.

There were lots of wildflowers amongst the rough and rugged rocks.

even higher up

and higher where we could see across to the ski hill and the village below

yet still higher and yet still more flowers

Before we knew it we popped out onto the summit of Fairview Mountain. Here we were in amongst the mountains and glaciers feeling like we were being hugged by them. It got cool and it was windy. We secured a few summit shots and then took cover.

My friend found the perfect spot that was warm from the sun and sheltered from the wind.

We tucked in together to enjoy our lunch and the views.

We had the prime spot to savour.

After lunch it was play time. We were owning the summit right now so it was a free for all to do what we wanted where we wanted. Summit fever took over and we became a little wild and crazy. Thin air at high altitudes will do that to you. That's what I blame it on anyway.

view down to Lake Louise and across to Mount St Piran

Being bundled up and a bit warmed up we took time to play some more.

Further down slope we went for another summit photo.

After investing almost an hour on the summit it was time to move on down. I did one last 360 and then followed my friends to the summit exit. Already I was feeling very thankful for how our day was going and now I was just thinking I hope we get back to the saddle in fine form.

Before reaching the tree section, we stopped to look around one more time.

We arrived back down at Lake Louise and met up with our friend. We geared down and got into our vehicle away from the sound of the crowds. We each shared our stories while enjoying cool snacks. Memories were made up on the summit of Fairview Mountain that I think will stay with us for a very long time. From our conversations, hiking in the Canadian Rockies has formed a whole new appreciation for hiking for my friends. I am so happy that I was apart of this. There are so many more mountains for them to climb up here and my door is wide open!